Yesterday I wrote about suffering

Today – I want to write about choosing joy.

For the past three years, the Lord has given me the honor of being a front-row witness to my dear friend Cory’s life – walking beside her as she has battled cancer. And she is still in the battle. The Lord is still writing her story.

And I want to share what I have witnessed. Through every step, she has faced this trial as she has lived her life – with grace, love, faith, and a steadfast choice to rejoice.

“Suffering, in and of itself, does not bring us nearer to God” as Tim Keller wisely points out (in Walking with God through Pain & Suffering). It’s who we turn to in the pain that makes all the difference.

Christ Followers are not called to a rigid, joyless faith and miserable existence that expects only suffering. We do recognize that deep suffering is part of life – oftentimes, we will not understand what the Lord is doing this side of heaven. But we remain in the tension of this and also knowing that Jesus Himself has overcome. And because He has, we can trust Him to lead us to victory each day, strengthening us to choose joy at every turn.

We do not welcome suffering, but we do welcome Christ in all things.

We choose to rejoice – not because our circumstances are easy, but because Jesus is with us and He is where the joy is. He is with us, we just have to turn to Him. We turn to His Word, we remind ourselves of His truth, and we anchor ourselves in His presence. Joy is not something we manufacture – it is found in Him.

The Bible speaks of joy in a way that is far deeper than mere happiness. The Hebrew word simchah (שִׂמְחָה) describes an outward, expressive joy – a rejoicing that comes from knowing and experiencing God’s presence. The Greek word chara (χαρά), used throughout the New Testament, speaks of a steadfast, inner joy rooted in grace (charis). This means our joy is not circumstantial but supernatural – flowing from Christ Himself, even in suffering.

This is not a pretty journey. It is raw, rough, and a battle.

Cory has shown me that sometimes choosing joy means showing up even when we’re in pain – leaving our troubles at the door and soaking up even a few moments of beauty and creativity. Sometimes choosing to rejoice means wiping the tears from our eyes as we wrestle with questions and cry out for mercy, then “weeping forward” to embrace our family and be loved. Sometimes it looks like putting on the harness of joy and soaring with the Lord, even as arrows fly all around us on the ground from so many directions.

But again – joy is not something we muster up on our own. It is Christ alone who gifts us joy. He is the source, sustainer, and giver of joy. So when we choose joy, we are really choosing Him. We are choosing to turn to Him, to sit with Him, to be filled by His Word instead of our emotions, and to believe that what He says is true.

And one of the most powerful ways we enter into His presence is through praise and thankfulness. Psalm 100:4 tells us to “enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise.” When we worship Him – not just in song, but in gratitude, in declaring His goodness, in speaking truth even when it feels hard – we open our hearts to experience Him more deeply. Gratitude shifts our focus from what is lacking to who He is. Praise lifts our eyes from the battle to the Victor.

And when we are too weary from the battle to do these things ourselves, He will send His people to intercede on our behalf.

(Mark 2:1-5 and Luke 5:17-20 and 2 Samuel 10:9-12 look these up!)

This is what the family of God is for – to lift each other up when we are weak. When we cannot praise, others will praise for us. When we struggle to find words to pray, others will intercede on our behalf. When we are too tired to choose joy, others will carry us to the feet of Jesus.

And I remind myself again: Joy is much deeper than emotions. Though God may allow us to feel deeply, joy is not led by feelings. It is an intentional choice to trust in Jesus and that He will have the final victory. But not only that – He is with us now and HE is our strength. He surrounds us with His love, provides our daily manna, upholds our faith, and gives us moments of lightness and flight, even as the battle rages on. We are weak, but HE is strong!

Cory has lived this truth before my eyes. She is not perfect. None of us are. But she has relied on the Perfect One. Her faith has never been passive – it has been active, lived out, chosen daily. Her battle continues, and so does the Lord’s faithfulness. The story is not over. And through it all, she has shown me – and I believe has shown all around her – what it means to choose joy.

So today, I am encouraged to choose joy. Not as a denial of hardship, but as a declaration that Jesus is greater still.

We rely on His faithfulness and His might! In Christ Alone we put our hope! And we continue to pray – pray – pray for our dear friend and leader!!!!!